Finger-course unit car



July 29. 1924. 1,503,452

7 c. E. FULLER FINGER COURSE UNIT CAR Filed June 2, 1922 2 SheetsShee t l A 29 $4 .16 altering July 29, 1924.

C. E. FULLER FINGER COURSE UNIT can 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2 1922 Inveniar Patented July 29, 1924.

GLAUD E. FULLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Application filed. June 2,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUD E. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Finger-Course Unit Cars, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like .parts.

My present invention relates to machines adapted for use in themanufacture of brick, and more particula-rly'to a finger course unit car adapted to receive the bricks fromthe hacking machine and prior to the loading of such brick by a setting machine intoa kiln.

As the finger course unitcar, forming the subject matter of the present'invention, is to be used in connection with a mechanical device for setting hacked bricks in position in akiln, I have arranged'the deck of my improved unit car in such a manner as to admit of the insertion between the elements thereof-of the liftingfingers of the Luce setter. The regular course of brick in a unit of brick adapted for a brick setting device of the type above referred to, is built of a plurality of regular courses each consisting of twenty four brick. The lower or bottom courses of such unit stack of brick requires, however, but twenty brick in order to allow for the spacing necessary to accommodate the lifting fingers of the brick setter. The problem, therefore, is to carry brick to the unit car in which the first course or finger course will have but twenty brick in each course while the remaining brick of the unit stack has twenty four brick, and I have provided for this feature in my improved hacking machine, above referred to, wherein anelectrically operated gate on the pusher leaves brick on the last two pallets untouched, thus pushing only ten pallets of brick instead of the usual twelve. As the brick on the pallets, and after leaving the pallets, are equally spaced with respect to each other, it is necessary for complete successful operation of the setting machine to space the finger courses in equally spaced blocks of twobrickeach providing in this manner for the insertion of the lifting fingers of the setting machine therebetween and distributing the weight of the succeeding courses of brick thereon. I have, in my present improved invention, provided a finger course unit car in which the deck FINGER-COURSE UNIT CAR. 1

1922. v Serial No. 565,378.

thereof is composed primarily of a plurality of parallelly spaced movable plates or bars arranged in two groups and adapted to receive layers of brick from the lifting device and, when the required number of finger courses have been deposited on the movable plates or bars that form such deck of the unit car, I arrange improved mechanism for moving the bars on plates laterally with respeot to each other'to arrange such plates or bars equally spaced, thus arranging the finger courses in groups of two horizontally.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is an improved finger course unit car adapted for use between a hacking machine and a setting machine that are employed in the manufacture of brick, the finger course car receiving the brick from the hacking machine and arranging such brick in position to be taken up in the most mechanical manner by the setting machine.

Another object of my invention is animproved finger course unit car provided with a movable deck composed of a plurality of parallelly arranged movable elements.

A further object of my invention is an improved deck for a finger courseunit car composed of a plurality of movable parallelly arranged elements and means for arranging such elements in pairs, the pairs of elements being equally spaced with respect-to each other; 7

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 .is a side elevation of a car showing the movable deck having its elements arranged in pairs and with the finger course of brick in position thereon;

Fig. 2 is a plan View, the lower'half of which shows the movable deck with the elements thereof arranged in normal position in two groups, the elements being parallelly arranged and equally spaced, while the upper half of this figure shows the movable elements arranged in pairs and the pairs equally spaced with respect to each other.

Fig. 3 is a view in section showing the construction of the operating bolts between the depending portions of adjacent movable members constituting the floor or platform of the unit car in their normal position; and

F ig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the bars in their open or operated position.

. Referring now to the drawings, 1Q desig-- nates side members and 11 end members of U shaped channel iron tied together at the corners by brackets 12 to form a rectangular frame, and to the under side of this' frame at substantially equal distances from the end and in alinement with the side members 10 are bearing members 13 arranged in pairs, shafts 14 being rotatably mounted in each pair 13 and on such shafts .14: are secured flanged wheels 1.5 adapted to run on the usual rail 16 which leads from the hacking machine to any desired point in the brick making plant. At each end and at the top side of the rectangular frame are secured uprights 17 provided with brick engaging devices 18' and 19 to assist in holdengaging devices 18 and 19 to assist in holding the unit stack of bricks on the car during tansportation, the manner of operation of which will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 1, butas thedetails of such mechanism do not concern my present invention, they will not be described in detail herein and need not be further referred to.

Adjacent the upright 17 and on the side members 10 are secured pillow blocks 20, the pillow blocks 20 on each end of the frame being in alinement with each other and forming pairs-of pillow blocks in which are rotatably mounted a shaft 21 at the right hand side of the device and a shaft 22 at the left hand side thereof. To the ends of these shafts 21 and 22 are attached operating mechanism for the brick holding elements 18 and 19 and the one end of the shaft 21 is squared at 23 to receive a ratchet handle (not shown) for rotating such shaft. These elements defining all the side members 10, and on the shaft 21 near the ends thereof, are pinions 241 which mesh with, and drive, racks 25 which are slidably mounted in suitable membersattached to the side and end members 10 and 11 arranged on the frame comprising themembers 1O andll', and slidably'mounted on the side members 10 are a plurality of movable bars or plates 26 which, in their normal position, or that shown at the lower half of 2, are arranged in two main groups of ten bars each, the distance between each bar 26 being equal, and these'bars or plates 26 being T shaped in cross section. Be neat-h such plates or bars 26, and slidably mounted on the inner side of each side member 10 in any suitable manner, are bars 27, oneend of these bars being secured to the rack member 25. As the rack member 25 and all parts associated therewith, and with the bars or plates 25 are duplicated on each side or with respect to each side member 10, it will be necessary to describe but one of such set of mechanisms. Therefore, secured to the bar 27, near. the end of such bar that is secured to the rack member 25 is a bracket 28 and the upper end of this bracket is securely riveted to the downwardly extending portion of the second T shaped plate or bar 26, counting from the right hand side of Fig. 1. Also secured to such bar T is a second bracket 29 and this bracket 29 is securely riveted to the downwardly extending portion of the second F shaped bar or plate 26, count ing from the right hand side of the second group of bars 26, as shown in the lower half of Fig. 2. Also secured to such bar 27 ar brackets 36, the extreme left hand bracket 30, as shown in Fig. 1, being adapted to engage with the downwardly extending portion of the extreme left hand "5' shaped bar or plate 26 while the other bracket 30 is adapted to engage with the downwardly extending portion of the extreme left hand T shaped plate or bar 26 ofthe right hand group. shown in the lower part of Fig. 2. The downwardly extending portion of the T shaped plates or bars 26 are drilled to receive threaded rods, one for each group of bars 26, the rod for the right hand group being designated 31 and that for the left hand group being designated 32. A plurality of nuts 88 are provided for each rod 31 and 32', and these .nuts are arranged as shown in Fig. 2, and referring specifically to the right hand group, one nut 83 engages that side of the downwardly extending'portion of the extreme left hand plate or bar 26 that is adjacent the rack 24 and then every alternate one to the right. The same arrangement is maintained with regard to the left hand group. The ends of these threaded rods 31 and 32 are provided with a nut 34 and the sleeve 35 for the purpose of adjusting the distance such extrem left hand bars may be moved when their respective rods are moved.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 2 and particularly to the lower half thereof, the.

first and second plates or bars 26, counting rom the right hand side, are drilled to re ceive athreaded bolt 36, and on such bolt and between the depending portions of such plates or oars 26 is a sleeve 37, the length of; such sleeve being slightly less than the distance between such depending portions when the plates or bars 26' are in their ordinary or normal position. third, and fourth bars are provided in their depending portions with a threaded bolt 38having slidably mounted thereon between the depending portions of the second and fourth bars a sleeve 39, the length of such sleeve being less than the combined distance between the depending portions of the second and fourth bars or plates 26. The depending portions ofthe fourth, fifth, and sixth plates or bars 26 are provided with a threaded bolt 40 on which is slidably' mounted a sleeve d1, the length of such sleeve being less" than the distance between The second,

the position shown at the upper partof.

Fig. 2 and in Fig. 1, the fingers of a brick setter such, for example, as that referred to above, will be able to slide between adja-' cent pairs of bricks 42, and when such set ter is lifted, the fingers thereof will engage the lower portion of the finger course bricks 42.

In operation, the apparatus above described is normally that shown in the lower part of Figs. 2 and 3 with the bars or plates 26 arranged in two groups, the bars being parallel .to each other and equally spaced, and brought into such a position that the lifting apparatus described and claimed in my co-pending application above I referred to, may be brought thereover.

Such lifting apparatus, taking a load of bricks, which we will assume are the finger course bricks, brings such bricks from the hacking machine and deposits the load on one of the groups of parallelly arranged bars or plates 26 and deposits the same thereon, this operation being repeated for the left hand group. Usually the finger bricks are set two courses high, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and the lifting and depositing operation repeated until the necessry number is in position on the bars or plates. The operator at this time will, by means of the ratchet wrench (not shown) on the end 23 of the shaft 21, ro-- tate such shaft, and therefore the gears 24 moving the rack members 25 from the position shown in the left half of Fig. 2 to that shown in the upper half of such figure.

The bracket 28, attached to the second mem:

ber 26, engages with the nut 33 on the threaded rod 31 and moves such second bar toward the first vbar until the depending member thereof engages with the end of the sleeve 37 on the threaded bolt 36. As the rack bar 25 moves, the depending portion of the second bar 26 engages with the head of the bolt 38 which thus moves the fourth bar 26 to the right until the depending portion of such bar 26 engages with the sleeve 39. As the fourth bar moves to the right, the depending portion thereof engages the head of the threaded bolt 40, moving the sixth bar 26 to the rightnntil the depending portion of such bar engages the sleeve 41 on the bolt to space the same, this sequence of operations being carried out for the. seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth bars in the right hand group until, when the rack member 25 has reached its extreme right hand position, or the position shown in the upper part of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, the first and second bars 26 will be arranged in one group, the third and fourth in a11- other, the fifth and sixth in another, and so on. The operations above described with respect to the right hand group have been taking place simultaneously with the left hand group and the connecting bolts and sleeves in the right hand group are duplicated in the left hand group. After this operation, the regular courses of brick are 'placed on the finger courses. in the usual manner and, when the unit stack of bricks has been removed from the car platformby the setting apparatus, the operator rotates, by means of the ratchet wrench (not shown) the shaft 21 in the reverse direction, thus forcing the bars or plates 26 back into their original or normal position. The purpose of the brackets 30 is to position the left hand bars 26' of each group.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, it is to be understood that I may vary the details of the construction and arrangement of parts constituting my improved construction without departin from the spirit of the invention.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In an improved finger course unit car, the-combination of a frame, a plurality of parallelly arranged bars or plates extending laterallyof said frame, and means for arranging said plates or bars in pairs.

2. In an improved finger course unit car, the combination of a rectangular frame, a plurality of parallelly arranged plates or bars extending laterallyof, and mounted on, said frame, and means for moving said parallel bars or plates and arranging the same in a plurality of pairs or groups spaced apart from, and lying parallel to, each other.

3. In'an improved finger course unit car, the combination of a rectangular frame, a platform therefor comprising a plurality of groups of bars or plates mounted on, and extending laterally of, said frame, the plates orbars in each group being equally spaced with respect to each other, operatingmeans for moving the bars or plates of each group into a plurality of pairs or groups, said means being connected with. and operably associated with, the individual plates or bars constituting each group, and means for controlling said operating means whereby the plurality of pairs orgroups are parallelly arranged with respect to each other, the distance between each pair or group being equal.

4. In an improved finger course unit car, the combination of a rectangular frame, a plurality of equally spaced, parallelly arranged plates or bars mounted thereon and constituting a loading platform forthe car, operating means interconnecting the members of the group, a rack: bar slidably mounted in the frame, operating means attached to said rack bar and associated with thegroupof parallel bars or plates, a shaft rotatably mounted in said trame, a gear secured to said shaft and meshing with the rack, and means for rotating the shaft in either direction to control the operating rod and. the means associated with therack bars whereby the bars-or plates are arranged in ranged in a pair of groups, operating means interconnecting the various membersof each group of plates or bars tocause a movement of, and tolimit the-extended movement of, the individual bars, and means for controlling said operating means for arranging the individual members of each group of bars or plates into pairs, the pairs being equally spaced from each other.

6. In an improved finger course unit car, the combination of a rectangular frame, a pair of groups of bars normally arranged therein and parallel to each other, the bars of each group being. arranged parallel to each other and'normally in engagement with each other, means for simultaneously moving the bars of each group laterally, and means associated with the bars Off each group forming the bars of both groups to be arranged in a plurality of pairs, the pairs being equally spaced from each other.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GLAUD E. FULLER. 

